For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day at http://www.CNNPolitics.com. All Politics, all the time.

Making news today:

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Say good-bye to peace on earth, and goodwill among men: Christmas is over, and the presidential campaign has hit the homestretch.

With just over a week to go until the Iowa caucuses, most of the candidates are spending the day in the Hawkeye State, with a few notable exceptions.

For the next two days, Mitt Romney is campaigning in New Hampshire – a state that was supposed to be his firewall. John Edwards is also stumping in the Granite State today. And Rudy Giuliani, who is looking past the earliest contests, is spending the day in Florida.

Back in the Hawkeye State, everyone’s still trying to parse the American Research Group’s Christmas Eve surprise: a new poll that seemed to show Huckabee losing, and Hillary Clinton gaining, big leads in their respective races. Full Story

An outlier, or a sneak peek at the late shape of the race? The answer’s just days away.

- CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand
***

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===============================================================

Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope & Jonathan Helman
CNN Washington Bureau

NY Times: Edwards Gets Demerits For Tardiness On The TrailIt seemed as if everybody in the northeast Iowa town of Manchester had squeezed into the Cedar Lodge Steakhouse one night this month for a John Edwards event. Everyone, that is, except Mr. Edwards. Forty-five minutes after he was scheduled to arrive, Mr. Edwards had yet to show up, and his campaign’s county coordinator, Judy McMahon, was onstage, gamely trying to keep the crowd occupied.

NY Daily News: Democratic 'Also-Rans' Not Giving UpBolstered by Iowan idealism, the knowledge that it's nearly impossible to accurately poll the caucuses and an election history replete with startling upsets, supporters of caucus also-rans Dodd, Joe Biden and Bill Richardson are still doggedly looking on the bright side.

Washington Post: Courting Students, And Hoping They'll Actually Cast Votes
Many of the presidential candidates have actively courted young voters, sending them text messages, visiting college campuses and launching Web sites that explain the complicated caucus process. The goal is not only to win over these voters but, just as critically, to get the ripe but unreliable group to turn up at caucus sites, perhaps hundreds of miles from their homes.

Boston Globe: Grass-Roots Activists Fill Void Within GOPSocial and economic conservatives, two key Republican blocs, have yet to unite behind a common candidate, depriving groups such as the Christian Coalition of a rallying point. That uncertainty has caused grass-roots activists to go follow their own path, often at odds with party elites.

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day at CNNPolitics.com. All Politics, all the time.

Making News Today:

Four polls, no frontrunners, and a partridge in a pear tree

Twas Christmas morning
And all through the land
Little children are asking
Where does this race stand?

In the national poll of polls for the Democrats - an average of four national polls taken in the last two weeks - Hillary Clinton has a healthy 19-point lead over Barack Obama, with John Edwards running third.

But the Democratic race looks very different in the early states.

Four Iowa caucus polls average out to a slight Obama lead over Clinton. In fact, it's a very close three-way race in Iowa - Obama 30, Clinton 28, Edwards 22. Any of them could win. And the four latest New Hampshire polls show Clinton narrowly ahead of Obama. Two polls show Clinton leading, one shows Obama slightly ahead, one shows a tie in New Hampshire. Again, anything could happen.

Rudy Giuliani's ahead if you average the four latest national polls. Four other candidates - Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Fred Thompson - all bunched together behind Giuliani.

But again: in the early states, a different story entirely.

In Iowa, Huckabee's ahead, with Romney running second. Giuliani's a weak fourth. In New Hampshire, Romney's ahead, with McCain breathing down his neck. Giuliani's third. And Huckabee? A weak fourth in the Granite State.

So are Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani the frontrunners? Only in national polls. But there's no national primary. Full Story

***

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===============================================================

Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope and Jonathan Helman
CNN Washington Bureau

New York Times: Democrats Try to Rein In Fees on ConsultingIt was the spring of 2004, and Senator John Kerry had just secured the Democratic presidential nomination. But as huge sums of money began pouring into his campaign, his top strategists had more on their minds than just getting ready for a tough race against President Bush.

New York Times: When Private Struggles Become Public Displays
…as the Republican and Democratic candidates engage in personal politicking in Iowa and New Hampshire, holding town-hall-style meetings open to everyone, they are often confronted with the most intimate of problems from the people who come out to see them.

Chicago Tribune: 'Twas the Week Before Caucuses
Sarah Huckabee, daughter of the Republican presidential candidate and Iowa front-runner Mike Huckabee, decided along with the staff of four that runs the Huckabee campaign office in Iowa to remain through the holiday. "If one of us is going to stay, all of us are going stay," she said, near a banner that read "Merry Christmas and a Huckabee New Year."

Chicago Tribune: Romney's Big Ad Buys Don't Pre-Empt FoesAs of Dec. 16, the Romney campaign had spent $16 million on television advertising …Yet the former Massachusetts governor is struggling in national polls against Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani, who had spent $600,000 and $2.3 million respectively, according to the same data.

LA Times: Romney's Running Mate - His Father
Mitt Romney's biggest personal successes are in Massachusetts, where he attended graduate school at Harvard, raised his family, ran Boston's Bain Capital investment group and was elected governor. But it is here in auto-heavy Michigan where Romney cut his teeth in business and politics.

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day at http://www.CNNPolitics.com. All Politics, all the time.

Making News Today:

All quiet on the campaign trail

WASHINGTON (CNN) - It’s the day before Christmas, and the only candidate stirring is Chris Dodd; the rest of the presidential field has abandoned the trail until Wednesday.

The seasonal endorsement derby took a few interesting turns Sunday. The Sioux City Journal – which serves the rural Iowa voters Barack Obama is making a special effort to reach – gave him their backing in the Democratic contest, while the state’s Quad City Times backed Hillary Clinton.

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney received the Sioux City Journal’s nod, and John McCain was the choice of the Quad City Times. But the big GOP endorsement news this weekend was back east in New Hampshire, where McCain nabbed the backing of the Nashua Telegraph – and Romney was on the receiving end of a rare, and brutal, anti-endorsement (headline: ‘Romney should not be the next president’) from the Concord Monitor.

More head-turning news out of the Granite State: a Boston Globe/University of New Hampshire survey of Granite State voters released Sunday found the Democratic and Republican races all tied at the top, statistically speaking: Obama is at 30 percent to Clinton’s 28 percent, and Mitt Romney is at 28 percent to John McCain’s 25.

- CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand

***

Now you can take the Best Political Team with you anytime, anywhere. Subscribe to the “Best Political Podcast” for extensive coverage of the 2008 election.Best Political Podcast

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Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

CNN: New Hampshire Paper: Romney 'Must Be Stopped'
In unusually stark language, the newspaper in New Hampshire's capital calls former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney "a phony" and tells its readers Sunday that he "most surely must be stopped" in next month's first-in-the-nation primary.

AP: Romney Lashes Out at McCain in N.H.
With John McCain on vacation and Rudy Giuliani occupied elsewhere in the state, Mitt Romney sought this weekend to close the deal with New Hampshire Republicans who remain undecided about his presidential candidacy.

LA Times: Romney's Lead Slipping In N.H. Too
As recently as last week, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney seemed to be holding a secure lead in New Hampshire, even as he was losing ground to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in Iowa.

Washington Post: Romney Strategy in Peril With Huckabee's Ascent
A year ago, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney gathered his campaign team for the first time at his suburban Boston home. There were PowerPoint presentations, and Ann Romney made sandwiches. "It was like the first day of school," said one senior-level participant.

USA Today: Pragmatism Has Paid Off For Huckabee
During Mike Huckabee's decade as governor, Arkansas got new roads, a revamped state school system, a children's health care program and other items forged with a Democratic-dominated Legislature.

LA Times: Huckabee Campaigning For 23% Sales Tax
Mike Huckabee, one of the most conservative Republicans in the 2008 presidential race, has embraced one of the most radical ideas on the campaign trail: a plan to abolish all federal income and payroll taxes and replace them with a single 23% national sales tax.

USA Today: Iowans Gather 'Round For Holiday Politicking
The head-on collision of holiday festivities and high-stakes politics is extreme this year even for Iowa, where every four winters people pretty much expect to run into presidential hopefuls at the diner or even their neighbor's house.

USA Today: Some Voters Don't Have To Wait For Election Year
In less than two weeks, Iowans will caucus to make their choice for the next president. Under media klieg lights and political scrutiny, they're proud to be the first voters in the nation to do so. Make that second-in-the-nation. Florida is already voting.

Washington Post: As Holiday Break Nears, Obama and Edwards Spar Over Outside Groups
In a final day of campaigning before suspending their campaigns for Christmas, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) encouraged voters here Sunday to view the holiday as a time to become "instruments of peace and change," while Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) accused former senator John Edwards (D-N.C.) of using outside groups to shape an intense three-way race.

Boston Globe: In Shifting Race, Edwards Aims For The Gut
John Edwards, who long has found common cause with Barack Obama in portraying Hillary Clinton as a defender of the Washington status quo, is now trying to distinguish himself from Obama by saying the Illinois senator lacks the toughness to upend the Washington order.

New York Times: Giuliani Hits a Rocky Stretch as Voting Approaches
Rudolph W. Giuliani has entered a turbulent period in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, marked by what his aides acknowledge are missteps, sharp shifts in strategy and evidence that reports about his personal life have hurt his national standing.

AP: Giuliani's Loss Set Stage For Success
Rudy Giuliani revels in a reputation for being unstoppable – the bold prosecutor of mobsters and crooked politicians, the dauntless mayor at the World Trade Center. And now a Republican presidential contender.

AP: Report: Hoover Had Arrest Plan For Disloyals
Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had a plan to suspend the rules against illegal detention and arrest up to 12,000 Americans he suspected of being disloyal, according to a newly declassified document.

===============================================================

On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

*Democrat Chris Dodd will talk about the importance of service to both the community and the country, and assemble care packages to send to Iowa National Guardsmen that have been deployed overseas, at a Shelter House at the Main and Bluff South Side Park in Carroll, Iowa.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Most of the major presidential candidates, Democratic and Republican, are spending the closing days of this year-long battle for the White House in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Today, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson, and Joe Biden are all in the Hawkeye State. Mitt Romney, and Hillary Clinton are in New Hampshire.

Then there's John McCain, who is stumping in Louisiana - where voters don’t weigh in until after Super Tuesday - and his home state of Arizona.

Back in a more traditional campaign mecca, the GOP candidates have successfully courted most of the big-name Palmetto State endorsers. But one of the biggest remains unspoken for.

With just a month to go until Palmetto State Republicans head to the polls – and five primary candidates pulling double-digit support in most recent surveys – “Could an eleventh hour endorsement for president by Mark Sanford, the state's Republican governor, put a GOP hopeful over the top?” Click here for the full story.

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day at http://www.CNNPolitics.com. All Politics, all the time.

Making news today:

Giuliani taken to hospital with flu-like symptoms

(CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani was taken to a hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, with flu-like symptoms and is spending the night there, a Giuliani spokesman confirmed to CNN early Thursday.

Giuliani - who had been campaigning in Missouri on Wednesday - became ill and then felt worse after his plane took off to return to New York.

He decided to return to the airport, consulted his personal physician, and then went to Barnes-Jewish Hospital, where he was admitted. Full Story

***

Huckabee leads in new CNN Iowa poll

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Mike Huckabee stands atop the Republican standings in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll of Iowa voters released Thursday morning.

Huckabee has the support of 33 percent of likely GOP caucus goers polled, followed by Mitt Romney with 25 percent. Rudy Giuliani comes in third with 11 percent, and John McCain and Fred Thompson are tied for fourth with 9 percent.

Meanwhile, the race for the Democratic nomination in Iowa remains neck and neck, with the top three candidates separated by just a handful of percentage points in the new CNN survey. Hillary Clinton has the support of 30 percent of likely Democratic caucus goers, while Barack Obama receives 28 percent, and John Edwards collects 26 percent. In other words: given the poll’s 4 percent margin of error, there’s a dead heat in the Hawkeye State, with two weeks to go until the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses. Full Story

Back to the Republican contest, we wait to officially hear what presidential hopeful Tom Tancredo has to say about his campaign this afternoon. Keep an eye on CNN and the CNN Political Ticker for the latest on his announcement.

Finally: there’s been a sudden outbreak of holiday cheer among the presidential field, with seasonal campaign spots hitting the airwaves from Dover to Des Moines. Here’s the official Christmas ad count so far:

Now you can take the Best Political Team with you anytime, anywhere. Subscribe to the “Best Political Podcast” for extensive coverage of the 2008 election.Best Political Podcast

===============================================================

Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

Washington Post: Surging Huckabee Takes Lead in Iowa Over RomneyThe race before Iowa's Republican caucuses has narrowed to a two-person contest between former governors Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, with Huckabee now perched atop the field, propelled by a big jump in support among religious women.

Wall Street Journal: Ahead of Iowa, Republican Race Is Wide Open
Two weeks before the Iowa caucus, the race for president, while tightening among Democrats, is wide open on the Republican side, highlighting the unusual fluidity of the first campaign for the White House in over a half-century that doesn't include an incumbent president or vice president.

New Hampshire Union-Leader: Polls Show Mccain Gains
Today, McCain is the underdog, but two polls show him gaining ground in the Granite State after a week of endorsements from major media, from former Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, and from a former secretary of state to two presidents, Henry Kissinger.

Denver Post: Tancredo Set To Quit Race
Rep. Tom Tancredo plans to withdraw from the GOP presidential field today, ending a campaign in which he failed to gain much attention or traction as rivals largely adopted his long-held immigration positions.

New York Times: In Charity and Politics, Clinton Donors Overlap
Over the last decade, former President Bill Clinton has raised more than $500 million for his foundation, allowing him to build a glass-and-steel presidential library in Little Rock, Ark., and burnish his image as an impresario of global philanthropy. The foundation has closely guarded the identities of its donors — including one who gave $31.3 million last year.

The Hill: Lobbyists On Obama’s ’08 PayrollThree political aides on Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) payroll were registered lobbyists for dozens of corporations, including Wal-Mart, British Petroleum and Lockheed Martin, while they received payments from his campaign, according to public documents.

USA Today: Outside Groups Seek Inside Track To White House
Since Nov. 1, independent groups have spent nearly $2.2 million on television advertising, polling, direct-mail and turnout efforts, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that detail last-minute political spending.

Gannett News: Tougher Voter ID Laws Fuel Debate
Choosing a 2008 presidential candidate might be confusing enough, but some voters will face an additional challenge next year — remembering to bring the right identification to the polls.

New York Times: Obama’s Vote in Illinois Was Often Just ‘Present’
In 1999, Barack Obama was faced with a difficult vote in the Illinois legislature — to support a bill that would let some juveniles be tried as adults, a position that risked drawing fire from African-Americans, or to oppose it, possibly undermining his image as a tough-on-crime moderate.

New York Times: Obama and Clinton Touch On International Matters
Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama waded into international concerns Wednesday, with Mrs. Clinton being less conditional that nearly all American troops in Iraq could be withdrawn “certainly within a year” if she were elected president, and Mr. Obama calling for banning toy imports from China.

LA Times: Clinton Toeing The Line Of Campaign Negativity
Clinton doesn't tell Iowa voters that in his younger days, her chief rival for the Democratic nomination behaved badly. She never lays out incidents from Sen. Barack Obama's past that could be exploited in a general election contest; doing so might be considered an unseemly personal attack.

Quad City Times: Edwards' Ad Draws Criticism In Iowa
A new ad praising Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards for his positions on behalf of American workers is coming under fire by rival Bill Richardson’s campaign, which says Edwards invested in a fund they allege has a role in the shutdown of Newton-based manufacturer Maytag.

AP: Romney Aligns Himself With Bush in Iowa
Republican Mitt Romney aligned himself squarely with President Bush and his national security policies Wednesday, reaching out to GOP loyalists who hold the president in high regard, back the Iraq war and could sway the high-stakes nomination race.

Boston Globe: Mccain Embraces Laid-Back Approach To OfficeAsked on a visit to a corporate headquarters which president best represented the United States, John McCain whisked through the pantheon of Republican heroes – Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan – before settling on a Democrat he saluted for being a "gutsy old guy."

LA Times: She Only Has Ayes For BidenTeri Hawks Goodmann is a longtime foot soldier for Biden on Iowa's eastern frontier. She was there when he sought the presidency in 1987. Two decades later, she campaigns for him again in her hometown.

AP: Former Rep. Mckinney Seeks PresidencyFormer Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney, who was ousted from office last year after a headline-grabbing scuffle with a Capitol Hill police officer, has decided to seek the presidency — as a Green Party candidate.

Roll Call: DCCC Targets 40 GOP Seats
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, convinced that its vulnerable incumbents are now well-positioned for re-election, is shifting its focus to the growing list of Republican open seats, DCCC Chairman, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.) said in an interview Wednesday.

Washington Post: Key Setbacks Dim Luster of Democrats' Year
The first Democratic-led Congress in a dozen years limped out of Washington last night with a lengthy list of accomplishments, from the first increase in fuel-efficiency standards in a generation to the first minimum-wage hike in a decade.

===============================================================

On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

* Fred Thompson continues his bus tour through Iowa with stops in Carroll and Denison. Later, he participates in a radio town hall meeting in Atlantic, and drops by the Missouri Valley Times-News in Missouri Valley. In the evening, he meets with local residents in Council Bluffs.

* Ron Paul heads to Plymouth, New Hampshire, for a walk, a lunch with residents and a discussion with local doctors. Later, he holds a town hall meeting in Berlin, New Hampshire.

* Bill Richardson talks about Iraq in Waverly, Oelwein, Independence and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He also delivers a speech on veterans, and their families in Waterloo.

* Mitt Romney holds a town hall meeting at the Indianola Country Club in Indianola, Iowa. Later, he holds "Strategy for a Stronger America: National Security" events in Fort Dodge, Orange City and Council Bluffs.

* Chris Dodd campaigns in Iowa, with stops in Council Bluffs and Des Moines.

* Tom Tancredo makes a major announcement about his campaign at the Marriott in Des Moines, Iowa.

* Joe Biden speaks at a Java with Joe event at the Woodbury County Truman Club in Sioux City, Iowa. Later, he speaks at Caucus Countdown events in Mason City, Webster City and Marion.

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day at http://www.CNNPolitics.com. All Politics, all the time.

Making news today:

Two weeks and counting…

It’s high campaign season, and most of the major presidential candidates are in Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina today, but a few familiar faces are missing.

One Big Apple-sized exception is Rudy Giuliani. While most of the field is spending the day looking to pull in votes, the former mayor will be back home, still trying to rake in campaign cash, one of two days this week he’ll spend fundraising, far from the trail, in the wake of news he’s slashed his ad buys in the pricey Boston media market that includes the southern border of the Granite State. Full Story

Meanwhile, a candidate on the rise, Mike Huckabee is hunting Texas cash, now making the pitch as a major candidate.

And the Texas congressman himself may be taking a down day, but ‘The Ron Paul Show’ continues, even without the $6 million man: his campaign tells CNN that it’s already busy spending the massive new fundraising haul, adding staffers in Florida and February 5 states, and buying up airtime in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Full Story

Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Fred Thompson are stumping in the Hawkeye State; John McCain and John Edwards are in New Hampshire. And Mitt Romney is spending the day in South Carolina, where his staffers have spent the past few days hitting Huckabee hard in that state’s first negative campaigning of the cycle. Full Story

***

Now you can take the Best Political Team with you anytime, anywhere. Subscribe to the “Best Political Podcast” for extensive coverage of the 2008 election.Best Political Podcast

===============================================================

Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

Washington Post: In N.H., the Swing Voter Is Vanishing
As Sen. John McCain, a Republican running for president, touted the endorsement Monday of Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, a maverick Democrat-turned-independent, it seemed designed to capture a legendary brand of New Hampshirite, a state icon on par with the moose: the independent voter.

LA Times: Mccain Tries To Turn A Corner In N.H.
In an increasingly fractured Republican race, three top presidential hopefuls fanned out across New Hampshire on Monday, with Mitt Romney seeking to downplay expectations, John McCain basking in key endorsements and Rudolph W. Giuliani pressing his case to siphon votes from Romney, the leader here.

USA Today: 'Family Values' Lower On Agenda In 2008 Race
Among the presidential contenders, however, Mitt Romney is virtually alone in stressing family values — a shift that reflects changes in society, the backgrounds of the Republican candidates and the urgency of issues such as war, terrorism and the economy.

AP: Obama Comes Up Short on Union Support
Barack Obama's appeal among Democrats is undeniable. He's near the top of every poll and he packs rooms wherever he goes. But a vital piece of the Democratic power establishment isn't showing him any love: labor unions.

Washington Post: Edwards Seeks the Issue to Win Iowa
John Edwards, vowing to challenge the powerful on behalf of the powerless, rallied supporters Monday at a downtown appearance where he accepted the endorsement of Iowa's first lady, Mari Culver, a women's advocate who called him "the first candidate in my adult life to make it his cause to eliminate poverty in America."

New York Times: For Romney, a Course Set Long Ago
George Romney had big ideas for his youngest child. Mitt Romney had already made millions as the founder of a giant buyout firm. But his father wanted Mitt to follow him into politics, convinced he could unseat Senator Edward M. Kennedy in Massachusetts.

LA Times: Quietly Excited About Romney
There's not much chitchat about the presidential campaign inside the Mormon church in Aliso Viejo, even though fellow Mormon Mitt Romney is in the hunt for the Republican nomination. At church functions, even a hint of political favoritism is strictly forbidden. At neighborhood potlucks, soccer games and business lunches, however, it's a different story.

New York Times Op-Ed: Iowa’s Undemocratic Caucuses
THIS year, a dozen polling organizations have conducted about 70 separate polls about the candidate preferences of Iowa caucus-goers…if a poll does manage to precisely forecast the results of the Jan. 3 caucuses, that is probably more coincidence than polling accuracy.

LA Times’ Top of the Ticket: Clintons Pull Magic Out Of Their Hats
Bill Clinton typically generates a fair amount of his own star power as he promotes his wife's presidential hopes. But Tuesday in Iowa, the wattage surrounding him should grow even more intense - he'll be joined on the trail by one of the most charismatic athletes of the last few decades, Magic Johnson.

Reuters: Likeability Is Key In U.S. Presidential Race
John Edwards wears jeans on the stump. Mike Huckabee plays bass guitar with local bands before his speeches and all the main candidates have been accompanied by family or people close to them on the campaign trail. Their aim is to win perhaps the oldest game in a U.S. presidential race - to persuade voters to like them.

Roll Call: Coleman, Corker in Line to Head NRSC
Although the job is typically reserved for the party’s more conservative lawmakers, Senate Republicans appear likely to enlist a moderate-minded colleague to head up their campaign committee next cycle — a move that could prove either devastating or brilliant for a party in transition.

The Hill: An earmark Christmas
Congressional negotiators have added scores of new earmarks to a massive 3,565-page spending bill that lawmakers had only a few hours to review before an expected vote Monday evening. Democratic leaders did not make the bill available for public viewing until late on Sunday night.

* Bill Richardson meets with local residents at the Urban Grind in Davenport, Iowa. Later, heads to Manchester, New Hampshire for a town hall meeting on Iraq.

* Mitt Romney delivers a speech in Spartanburg, South Carolina on illegal immigration. Later, he heads to West Columbia, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia for press conferences. In the evening, he holds campaign events in North Charleston and Myrtle Beach.

* Fred Thompson continues his bus tour through Iowa with stops in Manchester and Decorah. Later, he meets with local residents in Waterloo.

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day at http://www.CNNPolitics.com. All Politics, all the time.

Making news today:

McCain’s endorsement trifecta

WASHNGTON (CNN) - Shock waves are still spreading through Democratic ranks over Joe Lieberman's decision to back John McCain's presidential bid. Independent reputation aside, it's still a move that surprised almost everyone Sunday, from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, whose office learned of the move via a last-minute Sunday afternoon phone call (Reid's reaction: "I have the greatest respect for Joe, but I simply have to disagree with his decision to endorse Senator McCain") to, apparently, some members of Lieberman’s own staff - at least one of whom says he first heard of the decision from a CNN staffer (his reaction: "Oh my God, no. Really?") The official announcement is planned for this morning in New Hampshire. Full Story

Even if he had not received the Lieberman nod, this would still have been a banner endorsement weekend for the Arizona senator. McCain, who already had the all-important backing of the New Hampshire Union Leader, now heads into the primary season homestretch with the editorial approvals of The Boston Globe ­ a big read in neighboring New Hampshire, where he's running second in most polls ­ and, in a shocker, the Des Moines Register.

McCain isn't the only presidential contender to start the day in the Granite State. Giuliani and Romney ­ who are both banking on strong primary showings in New Hampshire ­ are also spending the day here. Meanwhile, back in the Hawkeye State, the Fred Thompson bus tour kicks off in Dubuque, and the Hill-a-copter is back in action for Hillary Clinton, barnstorming across the state and basking in the glow of her own Register nod. (Barack Obama, who captured the Globe's endorsement, is sticking to Iowa as well).

Get ready for some major crowing from Ron Paul's campaign, which claimed to reporters Sunday it had bested the GOP's one-day fundraising record by pulling in more than $4 million (and counting) in less than 24 hours.

–CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand

***

Now you can take the Best Political Team with you anytime, anywhere. Subscribe to the “Best Political Podcast” for extensive coverage of the 2008 election.Best Political Podcast

===============================================================

Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

New York Times: Candidates Scrambling to Cope With Rise of HuckabeeJust one month ago, Mitt Romney’s supporters thought that they had Iowa fairly well in hand. But there was Mr. Romney last week, telling several hundred people at a high school cafeteria in Marion that he was the underdog and pleading for their help to keep him from being derailed at the caucuses by the rise of Mike Huckabee.

Washington Post: Home-School Ties Aided Huckabee's Iowa Rise
Julie Roe, an early believer in Mike Huckabee, worked with what she had. With no buttons, no yard signs and no glossy literature from his nearly invisible Iowa campaign, she took a pair of scissors and cut out a photograph of the former Arkansas governor. She pasted it on a piece of paper, scribbled down some of his positions, made copies and launched the Huckabee for President campaign in rural Hardin County.

AP: Immigration a Big Issue to NH, Iowa GOP
At opposite sides of New Hampshire, John McCain faced two corporate audiences in two college towns earlier this month. Only one topic came up in both places when he starting taking questions: illegal immigration.

The Daily Telegraph: Mitt Romney Says Rival Is 'Another Bill Clinton'Scarcely an hour goes by without the Romney campaign issuing a press release painting Mr Huckabee, a Baptist who has surged past the former Massachusetts governor to become the new front runner in Iowa, as a joker. He’s called his quips about policy “no laughing matter” and mocked his “playground diplomacy”.

Boston Globe: Republican Candidates Returning To The Fold
Many Democrats who had spent years lamenting that their candidates were uneasy around the faithful were pleased to find this year that their primary field was filled with people with at least enough church experience to work scriptural verse into a stump speech – and even more pleased to find, for the first time in years, that it was the Republican front-runners who appeared most conflicted about discussing religion.

Politico: Rudy Cuts Back NH Ad BuyThe Nashua Telegraph's Kevin Landrigan reports that Rudy is planning to deeply cut back his New Hampshire television presence by reducing his buy on the pricey Boston stations this week.

Washington Times: Spouses Lend Savvy To '08 RaceJanet Huckabee and Michelle Obama are among a group of spouses who bring significant professional resumes and modern personal stories to the 2008 election as they line up as potential first ladies.

Roll Call: Endgame a Tale of Two Chairmen
While Democrats attempted this weekend to put the finishing touches on a catchall spending bill, the rocky road to the 2007 endgame has been exacerbated by a volatile House Appropriations chairman and a Senate Appropriations chairman weakened by age and health problems.

Washington Post: No Running Jokes Here
Al Franken doesn't want to be funny these days, not really funny. Wit has its place in politics, he says…But funny can be a distraction from the serious stuff Franken is trying to talk about, such as veterans' health care, global warming, his opposition to the war in Iraq, etc. Besides, Franken has always had funny. What he needs, as a candidate, is gravitas.

Roll Call’s Heard on the Hill: Small Steps, Giant Leap.
When he walked onto the Senate floor under his own power to vote on Friday, Sen. Tim Johnson (D) quietly marked a major milestone in his rehabilitation from a brain aneurysm that the senior South Dakotan suffered last year…

===============================================================

On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

* Hillary Clinton continues her "Every County Counts Tour" through Iowa with stops in Johnston, and Des Moines. Later, she heads to the eastern part of the Hawkeye State with events in Davenport and Coralville.

* John McCain receives an endorsement from Joe Lieberman in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. Later, he tours Lincoln Financial Company, holds a press Conference, and attends a house party in Concord. In the evening, McCain holds a town hall meeting in Weare.

* Fred Thompson kicks off his "The Clear Conservative Choice: Hands Down!" bus tour through Iowa with an event in Dubuque.

* John Edwards holds a bus tour finale event at The Temple for Performing Arts in Des Moines, Iowa. Later, he campaigns in Cedar Rapids and Davenport.

* Rudy Giuliani delivers remarks at Goss International Corporation in Durham, New Hampshire.

* Mike Huckabee is a guest on Larry King Live from Los Angeles, California.

* Dennis Kucinich campaigns in Sunapee, Claremont, and New London, New Hampshire.

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day at http://www.CNNPolitics.com. All Politics, all the time.

Making news today:

Huckabee surge hits South Carolina

WASHINGTON (CNN) - There are crowded presidential primary fields, and then there’s South Carolina. There are six Republican candidates with double-digit support in the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll ­ including two, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, who are up from single-digit showings in the last survey, conducted this summer.

But one contender seems to be pulling away from the pack. Roughly one in four Palmetto State Republicans, ­ 24 percent, ­ say they support Mike Huckabee, up from 3 percent in the previous survey. Fred Thompson comes in second with 17 percent. Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani’s support drops by roughly half since the last poll ­from 30 percent to 16 percent, tied with Mitt Romney. John McCain, who was second in the last survey, ­comes in fifth with 13 percent. Ron Paul pulls 11 percent.

The Democratic race appears to be tightening a bit in this latest poll, taken after Oprah Winfrey’s weekend visit on behalf of Barack Obama. But the shape of the race is generally unchanged from the summer survey: Hillary Clinton leads the pack with 42 percent, Obama follows with 34 percent (up from 27 percent), and John Edwards comes in third with 16 percent. Full Story

Meanwhile, most presidential contenders remain focused on the Hawkeye State, where Democratic candidates met Thursday for their final showdown before the caucuses take place three weeks from now.

Few events this campaign season promised to provide more awkward moments than that debate. Clinton and Obama shared an Iowa stage just hours after she personally apologized for a statement made by one of her top Granite State advisors about Obama’s admitted past drug use.

But the afternoon offered even fewer fireworks than the Republican debate that took place on the same stage just a day earlier. Much like in the GOP debate, the economy ­- which now tops the Iraq war as a concern of Democratic voters ­- proved to be the focus of much of the discussion.

Clinton played to a major campaign asset -­ her husband -­ by seeding her answers with reminders of his presidential successes. As for Obama, the debate’s low-key vibe seemed to play to his strengths.

But perhaps the real winner was Edwards, who has staked his candidacy on a strong showing in Iowa. A CNN focus group of undecided Hawkeye State voters overwhelmingly responded that Edwards came out on top at the end of the 90-minute debate. Many of these voters said he would get their vote if the caucuses were held today.

New York Times’ The Caucus: Encouraging Students to Caucus When Iowans caucus on Jan. 3, the state’s college students will be spread far and wide on winter break. But some colleges are trying to make it easy for their students to give up home cooking for a few days and head back to campus early to help nominate the next president.

USA Today: Giuliani Shifts Tactics, Goes On Offensive Republican Rudy Giuliani's plan to absorb punishment in the party's early primaries and then strike back in primaries in delegate-rich states on Jan. 29 and Feb. 5 has hit a wall, political analysts and strategists say.

New York Times: Biden Campaigning With Ease After Hardships Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, a back-in-the-pack Democratic candidate for president, was answering a voter’s question last week about negative campaigning when he abruptly began talking about his first, euphoric run for the Senate, in 1972, and the personal tragedy that nearly destroyed his life afterward.

New York Times: Apologies From the Heart (of Darkness?) But in the aftermath of the apologies, both the Clinton and Huckabee campaigns kept the original slurs alive through a series of interviews, raising questions about the sincerity of their apologies, especially in the heat of a wide-open campaign with the first voting less than three weeks away.

The Guardian: Huckabee Took Thousands In Gifts, Records Show A $1,000 pair of cufflinks from a supporter, tens of thousands of dollars of clothing from a wealthy Little Rock businessman and thousands in gift certificates and cash from staff and appointees were among the lavish gifts given to Republican presidential candidate and unexpected frontrunner Mike Huckabee while he was governor of Arkansas.

Wall Street Journal: More Blacks Lean Toward Obama Barack Obama's rising poll numbers among white voters in Iowa and New Hampshire are having an unexpected ripple effect: Some black voters are switching their allegiance from Hillary Clinton and lining up behind him too.

Washington Post: The Ghost of a Father Thoughts of his father "bubble up," as Barack Obama puts it in an interview, "at different moments, at any course of the day or week." "I think about him often," he says. He last saw his father in 1971, when he was 10 years old

USA Today: Mccain Gaining In New Hampshire As his Republican rivals lock horns in Iowa, Sen. John McCain seems so little concerned with the state's caucuses that during a debate there Wednesday he mentioned he opposes ethanol subsidies, the federal payments beloved of Midwestern corn growers.

Washington Post: Poll Shows More Optimism on War A year after approval of President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq dipped to an all-time low, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds discontent toward the war easing slightly, with Republicans and independents significantly more positive about the situation than they were 12 months ago.

CNN: Contempt Citations Recommended For Rove, Bolten Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday in favor of handing out contempt citations to a former and current White House official for failing to comply with subpoenas issued in the investigation into the firings of eight U.S. attorneys last year.

===============================================================

On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron

CNN Washington Bureau

* Barack Obama continues his bus tour through Iowa with a meet and greet in Monticello and a roundtable in Cedar Rapids. Later, he meets with Iowans in Manchester and Guttenberg.

* Mike Huckabee and Chuck Norris tour Elektrisola and speak with employees in Boscawen, New Hampshire. Later, they visit the New Hampshire Veterans' home in Tilton.

* Hillary Clinton attends a campaign fundraiser at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day at http://www.CNNPolitics.com. All Politics, all the time.

Making news today:

Brutal GOP campaign takes a breather

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Maybe it was the midday start time. Maybe it was the holiday season. But Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate lacked the brutal street-fighting tone that has characterized their previous meetings, as well as the past few days on the trail in Iowa.

With the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses roughly three weeks away, it was the moderator, and not the candidates who came under fire at this last Republican debate. Fred Thompson rebelled against debate guidelines laid out by Des Moines Register Editor Carolyn Washburn – his campaign even kept up the assault after the debate.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton, who has been a top target in most of the recent GOP debates, didn’t rate a single mention – that distinction went to the nation’s tax system, as each of the candidates pledged to slash taxes and government spending.

The man on stage who provided the biggest fireworks was perennial candidate Alan Keyes. The former ambassador and three-time presidential contender tangled with Washburn, injecting himself into exchange after exchange.

In fact, much of the GOP debate seemed to belong to second-tier candidates like Duncan Hunter, Tancredo, Paul and Keyes. That scenario won’t play out Thursday - underdogs Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel have not been included in the Democratic debate. Full Story

In other news:

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney will be endorsed by Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, CNN’s Dana Bash has learned. Full Story

And while the presidential race in Iowa is in its final stretch, four Democratic candidates plan on leaving the Hawkeye state Thursday morning to tend to their day jobs. Sens. Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, and Barack Obama, all plan to make the trip back to Capitol Hill for a Senate farm bill vote and a cloture vote on an energy bill, aides to the senators tell CNN’s Jessica Yellin. Full Story

- CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand

***

Now you can take the Best Political Team with you anytime, anywhere. Subscribe to the “Best Political Podcast” for extensive coverage of the 2008 election.Best Political Podcast

===============================================================

Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Washington Post: In a Lifeless Debate, Vows of a Spirited Sprint
Despite barely engaging each other in a final, lackluster Republican debate here, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee vowed Wednesday to wage a spirited fight in a presidential contest that has become a test of social conservative passions vs. the power of money and organization.

NY Sun: McCain Touts Bloomberg on Education
Senator McCain is cozying up to Mayor Bloomberg at the expense of Mayor Giuliani as the Republican presidential primaries draw near, using a question at yesterday's debate here to tout the current administration's efforts to reform an educational system that he said had been "clearly broken."

LA Times: Controversy Dwarfs GOP Debate
Mike Huckabee apologized to Mitt Romney on Wednesday for raising questions about the Mormon faith, again pushing religion to the fore of an increasingly bitter fight for the Republican presidential nomination.

Boston Globe: New Dynamics Of Race Reinforced, But No Big Winner
When Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado looked down the lineup of fellow Republican presidential candidates and said he had a question for the governor "because you're leading the pack now," former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney straightened up as if readying himself for a punch.

New York Times: Clinton Aide Sees Problem for Obama
A top adviser to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that Senator Barack Obama’s admission of illegal drug use as a young man could threaten his electability and be seized on by Republicans if he won the Democratic presidential nomination.

Washington Post: A Family Duty
John McCain's life has always been framed by his legendary Navy forebears - the father and grandfather who were illustrious admirals; the tough, passionate men whose code and calling McCain was preordained to share. He is a product of almost 80 years of family service, which included his 5 1/2 years of torture and deprivation in North Vietnamese prison camps.

Politico: HRC Troubles May Pose Problem For Giuliani
You know the type: He doesn't like her, he picks on her, but in the end — he needs her. If recent polls are any guide, the guy in that particular stormy and symbiotic relationship is Rudy Giuliani, and the object of his complicated emotions is none other than Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Chicago Tribune’s The Swamp: First Oprah, Next Gayle King
In Dubuque, Iowa, Barack Obama will participate in a "Women for Obama" event that will be streamed live on the Web. Gayle King, a close friend of Oprah Winfrey's and one of her employees, will moderate the town-hall-style gathering.

Boston Globe: Obama Slams Employee Mishap, AgainThe Obama campaign's response to reports Tuesday that he had stated in a decade-old questionnaire his unequivocal opposition to the existence of guns – a different position than he states today – was to blame it on a wayward employee.

LA Times: Putting Words In Obama's MouthIt's not unusual to hear average folks being mentioned by presidential hopefuls on the hustings. But few have found themselves quite so celebrated as Edith Childs, the star of one of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's favorite campaign anecdotes.

DC Examiner: Bill Subs for Hill at NJ Fundraiser
It's not often that Bill Clinton is relegated to the role of substitute, but the former president filled in Wednesday night at a million-dollar fundraiser his presidential candidate wife missed because of bad weather.

Washington Post: Misreading the Iran Report By Henry Kissinger
The extraordinary spectacle of the president's national security adviser obliged to defend the president's Iran policy against a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) raises two core issues: How are we now to judge the nuclear threat posed by Iran? How are we to judge the intelligence community's relationship with the White House and the rest of the government?

Roll Call: Poll: Landrieu’s Race Near Even
In the Republican Party’s one real shot at knocking off an incumbent Senate Democrat, Louisiana Treasurer John Kennedy is running almost even with Sen. Mary Landrieu (D), according to a new poll conducted exclusively for Roll Call.

Boston Globe: Gonzales is lawyer of the year, says ABA Journal
Negative news coverage might have cost Alberto Gonzales his job as attorney general, but it won him a dubious honor yesterday from a magazine published by the American Bar Association: Lawyer of the Year.
===============================================================

On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

* The Democratic presidential candidates participate in a debate sponsored by the Des Moines Register and Iowa Public Television in Johnston, Iowa

For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day at http://www.CNNPolitics.com. All Politics, all the time.

Making news today:

Good news for Obama and Romney in New Hampshire

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Huge news out of the new CNN/WMUR poll this morning: Barack Obama’s recent surge has reached the Granite State in a big way. Obama has gained 8 percentage points, while Hillary Clinton has dropped 5 percentage points in the latest survey putting the two Democrats in a statistical dead heat a month before the primary. Just one month ago, Clinton led Obama 36 percent to 22 percent; today, she’s ahead by a single point, 31 percent to 30 percent. John Edwards is a distant third, rising 3 points to 16 percent.

The Democratic race may be upended, but GOP results seem to be frozen in place in the new survey that was conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. Despite increasing momentum for Mike Huckabee in Iowa and nationally, Mitt Romney is showing hints of a Granite State firewall: He’s holding steady at 32 percent, followed by Giuliani and McCain at 19 percent. Huckabee is in fourth place with 9 percent – barely ahead of Ron Paul’s 7 percent showing. Full Story

After a week of shooting at each other from a distance, the Republicans will wind up on the same Iowa stage today for the Des Moines Register debate. (The Democrats will have their turn on Thursday.) Tune into CNN at 2 p.m. ET to watch the fireworks between Romney and … pretty much everyone else, but especially Huckabee. He told reporters yesterday that the former Massachusetts governor as “desperate.” Romney has the distinction of being the only GOP candidate – so far – to take aim at all of the top-tier Iowa contenders.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton herself may be out of the spotlight for the day, look for her campaign to continue to laser in on Obama’s “electability” deficit.

And Bill Richardson will try to match the sharp elbows of his top-tier counterparts with a speech his campaign describes as a counterpoint to the “meaningless bickering of his opponents in the Democratic primary.”

After months of squirreling away millions of dollars in campaign donations, the candidates are now opening their wallets to buy television advertising time - especially in Iowa. Full Story

- CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand

***

Now you can take the Best Political Team with you anytime, anywhere. Subscribe to the “Best Political Podcast” for extensive coverage of the 2008 election.Best Political Podcast

===============================================================

Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

CNN: CNN N.H. Poll: Obama, Clinton Tied; Romney Remains Strong
Barack Obama has chipped away at Hillary Clinton’s lead in New Hampshire, and the two Democratic presidential hopefuls are now locked in a statistical tie less than one month before the first-in-the-nation primary, a CNN/WMUR Poll released Wednesday shows.

Washington Post: In Poll, Huckabee Closes on Giuliani
Three weeks before the first contest of the 2008 campaign, Republicans remain sharply divided over whom to choose as their presidential nominee and which of the five leading candidates best embodies the core values of a fractured GOP, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

National Review: Romney for President
Many conservatives are finding it difficult to pick a presidential candidate. Each of the men running for the Republican nomination has strengths, and none has everything — all the traits, all the positions — we are looking for. Equally conservative analysts can reach, and have reached, different judgments in this matter. There are fine conservatives supporting each of these Republicans.

New York Times: Feeling Heat, Clinton Tries Iowa Up Close
Though Hillary Clinton maintains a solid lead among Democrats in most national polls, Mrs. Clinton is showing signs of vulnerability, with her margins narrowing in the early voting states and her main rival for the nomination, Senator Barack Obama, taking her on more aggressively.

NY Daily News: Bill Clinton To Aid Hillary's Campaign
Bubba to the rescue! Alarmed by his wife's slide in the polls and disarray within her backbiting campaign, a beside-himself Bill Clinton has leaped atop the barricades and is furiously plotting a cure – or coup.

Washington Post: Obama's Cheering Section Ups The Volume
Change. The word on which Sen. Barack Obama has staked his candidacy. A word that's peppered in all of his speeches and plastered around any Obama event. A word that attracts and enthralls and, in some cases, challenges. Change? What's going to change? Are voters going to change?

Wall Street Journal: Clinton Basks in Buffett Glow
Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are vying for the affections of legendary investor Warren Buffett, as the economy eclipses Iraq as a key election issue. Mr. Buffett has said he won't endorse a candidate but that he is willing to throw his substantial fund-raising capabilities behind both Sens. Clinton and Obama.

Washington Post: Bigger Than Life
Freddie Thompson hit full height in the 10th grade, some 6 feet, 5 3/4 inches. His buddies called him "Stick." He was a nice-looking kid, played football and basketball, chased girls, horsed around in class, rarely cracked a book. "Basically, just a carefree, underachieving kid," he says today.

Washington Post: Romney Seeks a Neighborly Reception
Wes Burke does not really know Mitt Romney as the multimillionaire corporate turnaround whiz or savior of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics or presidential candidate with the reputation for changing his mind. He knows him as the guy who, on a visit to Burke's home here one Sunday, noticed water running high behind the dam on the property and then offered to go with Burke to fix the broken pump.

Huffington Post: ABC Exiles Ron Paul Interview to Web
Congressman Ron Paul and 20/20 host John Stossel have more than a few things in common. Specifically, they both think a lot of libertarian thoughts, and unlike a lot of libertarians, they've both learned to communicate these thoughts so effectively that they have earned the respect of their peers.

Boston Globe: For Biden, It's The Résumé Over The Rallying Cry
As Joe Biden lingered after his speech at Northern Iowa Area Community College, a man leaned in and asked for Biden's ultimate sales pitch – the one thing he could say on caucus night to lure friends from better-funded, more famous candidates to support the senator from Delaware.

AP: AP Interview: Edwards on Iraq and Dems
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, who has fiercely debated the U.S. military presence in Iraq with his rivals, said Tuesday that he believes Iowa voters don't find much disagreement among Democrats on how to bring the war to an end.

AP: Republicans Keep Two House SeatsRepublicans retained control of two Congressional seats Tuesday in special elections in Ohio and Virginia, thwarting Democratic efforts to expand their control in the House. The elections were held to complete the terms of members of the House who had died.

USA Today: 'Earmark' Cash Aids Democrat Freshmen
A year ago, Democrats won control of Congress in part by criticizing billions of dollars spent on pet projects. Now, freshmen Democrats are benefiting from the same kind of spending, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

Roll Call: Omnibus Plans Face Resistance
Democrats struggled to hash out a new spending strategy on Tuesday amid resistance in both parties to an earmark-free spending plan floated by House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) and a new proposal by Senate Republicans for an across-the-board cut.

AP: Redneck Spoofs Spice Up 2008 Campaign
From behind an anchor desk ringed with empty Budweiser cans and Jack Daniel's bottles, the pundits of "Red State Update" dissect election politics from the good ol' boy point of view.

LA Times’ Top of the Ticket: The Actress Who Stalked Rudy Giuliani
Actress Kerry Washington’s been popping up at campaign events for many of the presidential candidates these days - using them as a living props while she models the latest fashions for an upcoming issue of the New York Times Magazine. The candidates don't seem to mind the free exposure.

The Hill: Pelosi Buys $16K Worth Of Flowers
Pelosi (D-Calif.) spent a little more than $3 million in the first nine months of 2007, records show, compared to the $1.8 million Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) spent during the same period in 2006. The spending patterns indicate Pelosi is seeking to restore the Speaker’s role as a counterweight to the president and reclaim some of the responsibilities Hastert had ceded to his aggressive majority leader, Tom DeLay ===============================================================

On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich and Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

* The Republican presidential candidates participate in a debate sponsored by the Des Moines Register and Iowa Public Television in Johnston, Iowa.

* Mitt Romney attends a post-debate house party in Johnston. In the evening, he’ll attend the Christmas party at Linn-Mar High School in Marion.

* Rudy Giuliani meets with local supporters at Historic Valley Junction in West Des Moines, Iowa. Later, he participates in a town hall meeting at Coe College in Cedar Rapids.